Chapter Nineteen

Alzack and Gajeel continued to stare each other down, Alzack glaring angrily and Gajeel smiling sadistically, when Alzack exploded into motion as he brought his revolvers to bear and started to fire at Gajeel.

Gajeel quickly jumped out of the way of the barrage, his smirk still in place, then quickly charged forward to close the distance between them. "GIHIHIHIHI!" He roared in laughter as he barely avoided shot after shot before wincing when one of the bullets clipped his right leg. Gajeel dismissed the pain when he saw how close his opponent was and quickly lashed out with a kick. "Tetsuryuken!" He roared as his leg transformed into a blade that sliced at Alzack.

Alzack didn't even bat an eye as he quickly jumped up over the kick and adjusted his aim to keep his revolvers on Gajeel. "Guns Magic: Tornado Shot!" Alzack yelled as he fired his right revolver to send a miniature tornado out at Gajeel from point blank range; which slammed into Gajeel and sent him flying back while spinning rapidly.

Gajeel had only been flying for a few seconds before he transformed his arms into swords while changing his leg back to normal and sliced through the tornado. He landed on his feet and slid for a few more feet then looked to the side as another Fairy Tail mage came in to attack him. Right as he was about to retaliate a bullet flew between the two, making the Fairy Tail mage freeze in shock.

"Nobody interferes!" Alzack yelled angrily as he finished reloading then charged towards Gajeel with his revolvers pointed downwards at his side. "This bastard is mine after what he did to Bisca!" He yelled and Gajeel quickly returned his focus to Alzack then smirked as his arms changed back to normal.

"You think trash like you can beat me?" Gajeel asked as he rushed forward to meet him. "GIHIHIHIHI!" He laughed condescendingly as he prepared to dodge anything Alzack shot at him. To everyone' surprise, for no one could completely ignore what was going on despite their own difficulties, Alzack continued to run in melee range; where Gajeel would clearly have an overwhelming advantage against the gunslinger.

Gajeel quickly lashed out with a barrage of punches but Alzack didn't stop running to engage. Instead he did a large jump to the right and turned in midair to point his right revolver at Gajeel's feet. "Guns Magic: Burst Shot!" Alzack said as he shot his gun but Gajeel was already jumped into air to avoid the shot, and not a second too late; for the instant the bullet hit the ground a moderate explosion erupted, sending Gajeel further up into the air.

Gajeel looked over at Alzack quickly and his eyes widened slightly to see Alzack's left revolver already tracking his trajectory. "Guns Magic: Blast Bullet." Alzack said coldly and six blue blasts came out in rapid succession to slam into Gajeel, once more sending him flying back from the rapid impacts. Gajeel gleamed brightly with a metallic sheen as he spun in the air to regain his balance and Alzack looked at Gajeel in shock to see him unharmed.

"Huh, looks like you're tougher than I thought." Gajeel said as he brought one hand up and cracked his fingers, his entire body now covered in metallic scales. "To think I'd have to use my Tetsoryu no Uroko." He said then gave an evil grin. "I might have some fun after all." Gajeel said before exploding forward.

Alzack quickly shook off his surprise and brought his right revolver to bear. "Guns Magic: Blast Bullet!" He yelled as he pulled the trigger and five blue blasts shot out in rapid succession to slam into the incoming Gajeel.

"GIHIHIHIHI!" Gajeel laughed loudly as the blasts deflected off his scales, barely slowing him down as he rushed in to deliver a devastating combination of punches and kicks that broke most of Alzack's ribs before he was sent flying back to land in a heap and rolled from the impact.

"ALZACK!" Macao yelled when he saw Alzack slam into the ground then finally stop. Damnit! Macao thought as sweat dripped from his forehead when Cana suddenly destroyed four phantoms with four tarot cards and ran up to kneel beside Alzack.

"Alzack, are you ok-?" Cana started to ask before freezing when she saw him start to slowly reload one of his revolvers, the other reholstered on his left hip.

"Can... barely... breathe..." Alzack gasped out, the pain from his broken ribcage preventing him from drawing breath properly. "But...I'm... not... done..." He said through gritted teeth as he closed the mag-wheel of his gun.

"Alzack, you can't-"

"He'll... pay..." Alzack swore as his eyes gleamed with determination before he coughed up blood while he started to get up.

"So, you still want some more, trash?" Gajeel asked with a smirk on his face as Alzack slowly stood up. "No more time play though, need to get Master's prize back to him!" He said as he charged towards Alzack, who suddenly charged forward to meet him; surprising everyone with his resilience. "TAKE THIS!" Gajeel roared as they closed in while he reared his right fist back. "TETSURYOU NO -!"

"GUNS MAGIC!" Alzack suddenly roared as he dropped down to slide on his back to avoid Gajeel's punch and his revolver started to glow faintly. "BIG BANG SHOT!" He roared as he pulled the trigger and the barrel, only a few inches away from Gajeel's stomach, fired a blast more suitable to a cannon then a gun that slammed into Gajeel with an explosion that consumed the two of them and any phantoms within a twenty foot radius.

The two of them came flying out from each side with smoke coming from their bodies.

Alzack was covered in severe burns and already unconscious, the pain having immediately overwhelmed him, while Gajeel's scales had long cracks from the force of the explosion.

Everyone was frozen in shock at Alzack's attack for several long seconds when Gajeel suddenly started to move and opened his eyes. "That little... shit..." Gajeel said weakly as he slowly pushed himself up to his knees. What kind of idiot gambles their life like that? He thought in surprise before he looked up to see a blade mage bearing down on him with two short swords in his hands.

"Stay down you bastard!" He yelled as he swung down viciously with both swords.

Gajeel quickly caught his forearms with a glare when he suddenly gave a cocky smirk. "Just what I needed." He said before surging upward to headbutt the mage and tear the swords from his grasp in the same movement. "Food." He said then carefully yet quickly ate the two swords. As he consumed the swords his scales quickly repaired themselves before everyone's disbelieving eyes. "Now then..." He said before dashing towards Lucy. "TIME TO LEAVE, TRASH!" Gajeel yelled as he closed in on the terrified Lucy when Macao appeared in front of her, his eyes narrowed into a glare. "What's this, more trash to take out?" Gajeel asked with a laugh and Macao's face tightened further.

"Murasaki no..." Macao said slowly as dark purple flames appeared around his body then suddenly brought both hands up quickly over his head then thrust them out. "BIMU!" He roared as a blast of purple flames shot out at the incoming Gajeel.

Gajeel skidded to a stop as the flames came in at him and crossed his arms in front of him just as the blast slammed into him, sending him skidding back several feet before he was able to stand firm. "Heh, this isn't so bad." He said with a smirk, which Macao returned with a humorless smirk of his own.

"How about this?" Macao asked before he had the flames spin around and grab both of Gajeel's wrists then quickly trapped his arms behind his back, making Gajeel look down in surprise. "Murasaki no Jaketto." He said at the end of the movement and Gajeel was now wearing what appeared to be a straight jacket made entirely of purple flames that had one thin stream connecting it to Macao's hands.

"Wh-what the-?" Gajeel asked in surprise as he looked down at the fire jacket.

"How well are you able to swim with all that metal on you?" Macao asked and Gajeel looked up at him quickly before Macao started to spin him around several times then threw him at the lake. The instant he let go, Macao immediately dropped to his right knee as he put his hand to his torso. Shit! Macao thought as his torso screamed in pain from where he had taken a triple elemental blast during the failed assault on Phantom Lord.

Gajeel looked down at the lake then smirked as the metal scales disappeared. Idiot, the water will take care of your flames; then I'll be right back. He thought confidently then waited calmly as he dropped down to the water. He closed his eyes reflexively as he hit then flexed his arms against the the purple flames. His eyes shot open again in surprise when the flames continued to hold strong. What? ! Gajeel wondered in shock as he continued to sink.

Back on shore and a minute later, Lucy was in the process helping Macao to his feet when suddenly the water where Gajeel had landed exploded upward. As everyone looked over in shock, Gajeel appeared from the geyser and landed lightly on the ground, his eyes burning with rage. His glare quickly settled on Macao and he started to slowly walk towards the exhausted fire mage.

Lucy looked between the two then quickly let go of Macao and ran towards Gajeel as a surprised Macao dropped down to his rear. "Wait!" Lucy yelled desperately as she ran up in front of him then spread her arms out to block his path. "I'll go with you, just stop this!" She pleaded and Gajeel paused to look down at her before backhanding her out of his way. "KYAAA!" Lucy screamed in pain as she went flying to the side.

"Like I care about you right now." Gajeel said coldly as he walked up to Macao while his metal scales returned, the phantoms grouping together to keep anyone from helping him. "Got anymore tricks, old man?" Gajeel asked as he stood before Macao, who was looking up with exhaustion written all over his face. "Peh, I thought so." He said in disgust then picked him up by his throat, cutting off his air. "Any last words, then?" Gajeel asked as he extended his other arm out then changed into a chain sword.

Macao grabbed at Gajeel's hand as he made gurgling noises, to which Gajeel slightly relaxed his grip to hear what he might say. "Over the... lips... and through the... gums..." Macao said then suddenly put both hands over Gajeel's mouth, taking him by surprise. "Look out stomach, here it comes!" He yelled and a second later a blast of purple fire was sent directly down Gajeel's mouth, who reflexively threw Macao as hard as he could as his arm turned back to normal so both hands could grab his throat.

Macao landed with a grunt and rolled a couple of feet before finally coming to a stop, panting heavily. That's it... that's the last of my magical power... He thought weakly then struggled so that he could look and see the results of his final attack. Gajeel was currently on both knees holding his throat with both hands as smoke plumed out of his mouth, his entire body trembling. I hate having to do this kid... but you brought it- what? ! Macaro started to think before his eyes widened when Gajeel suddenly started coughing wildly, spitting out blood and...

"No way..." Cana said in shock as Gajeel coughed out small chunks of superheated metal. "He actually... blocked Macao's last attack..." She said then blinked as realization came to her. "EVERYONE!" She screamed loudly then pointed at the badly wounded Gajeel. "WHILE HE'S WOUNDED, WE CAN TAKE HIM DOWN!" She ordered as she prepared her tarot cards.

Loke was the first one to start charging when he suddenly swooned then dropped, his magical power all but spent from the prolonged fight. Elsewhere, others were facing the same exhaustion as the phantoms not only replicated but seemed to become stronger each time they reappeared.

Gajeel, though arrogant and cocky, was no fool and quickly realized how bad of a position he was in. Quickly gathering his strength, he sprinted towards Lucy and quickly grabbed her then continued onwards towards the lake.

"STOP HIM!" Cana screamed even as she threw two tarot cards at his back, being careful with her aim so as not to hit Lucy. The instant before he was going to be hit, Gajeel suddenly disappeared into thin air; letting the tarot fly by where he had been just a second before. "Damnit..." Cana said as she dropped to her knees. "DAMNIT!" She screamed in frustration before she was forced to hold back a trio of phantoms that flew in; which didn't even care about the frustration and heartbreak that she was experiencing.

Phantom Lord Castle

Gajeel appeared in a room with the magical technicians and immediately dropped Lucy as he slumped to his knees. "Metal," He demanded weakly even as he noticed a pile of scrap metal laying on the floor in front of him. Gajeel wasted no time tearing into pile and was quickly restored to near full strength. "That bastard..." Gajeel said angrily then glared at the technicians, who were already far away in case he felt the need to lash out. "Tch," He muttered in annoyance then looked down at the struggling Lucy and picked her up and slung her over his shoulder.

"Let me go!" Lucy demanded but all Gajeel did was slam her into a wall, stunning her, then put her back on his shoulder.

"Shut up." He said darkly, his happy mood at destroying Fairy Tail's Guild House destroyed by that humiliating near defeat.

Natsu

"Gah!" Natsu yelled in pain as he was sent flying back before he nimbly flipped in the air to land on his feet with a grunt. "Shit..." Natsu panted out in disbelief as he stared at an untouched Aria; which contrasted sharply with the damage plainly visible on Natsu's body.

"It seem I have underestimated your endurance." Aria said calmly as he "looked" at Natsu. "I must admit, you are quite something." He said and Natsu's face tightened into a grimace before he charged in at Aria.

"DAMNIT!" Natsu roared in frustration as he summoned fire around his right fist.

"However..." Aria said as he watched Natsu run in before suddenly thrusting his left palm forward to create a wall of wind that slammed into Natsu. "Before my Uro, there is nothing you can do." He said as Natsu was once again sent flying backward as Happy came flying in. "Zetsu." He said and a barrage of purple blasts slammed into Natsu, sending him further back.

"AAAHHH!" Natsu screamed in pain as the attacks hammered him before he spun in the air to land then skid across the ground.

"Natsu!" Happy yelled in panic when he saw the state his friend was in then looked back down the hall he had come from where he heard armored footsteps coming.

"Hmm... impressive." Aria said impassively. "You still refuse to go down." He commented in a clinical tone.

Natsu said nothing for several seconds before his right hand tightened into a fist. "I can't just let you beat me... I'm a mage of Fairy Tail... " Natsu panted out then ground his teeth together. "YOU'RE JUST PISSING ME OFF, YOU BASTARD!" He roared before he took a deep breath. "KARYUU NO HOUKO!" He roared as a blast of fire shot out from his mouth at Aria. Right before the blast was about to hit, Aria became transparent then disappeared as the flames consumed him. "Huh?" Natsu said in surprise when he what happened and immediately stopped his attack even as the initial burst destroyed a portion of the wall behind Aria. "Where did he go?" Natsu wondered out loud as he urgently looked around for his opponent.

"It is over... Salamander." Aria's voice suddenly echoed around him, making him tense up slightly in anticipation. "You are about to experience the same pain as Makarov..." He said and Natsu's eyes widened as Aria suddenly appeared behind him with his hands up at shoulder level and his palms pointing down. "Uro... Metsu." Aria said and the air around Natsu glowed with a golden light. "Now all your magic shall be reduced to nothingness!" He declared as the spell fully activated.

"GUUUAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" Natsu screamed in agony as his magic started to be forcefully ripped from his body when two boots, one leather and other other armored, slammed into Aria's face and sent him flying back; allowing Natsu to slump, though he still refused to fall.

Aria, taken by surprise by the sudden attack, was still able to flip in the air to land on his feet even as Link and Erza landed lightly in front of Natsu, their backs to him. "Ooohhh..." Aria said woozily as he wobbled slightly from the impact while he regained his balance.

"H...hey... what do you-"

"He's the one... that did that to Master..." Erza said coldly as her right hand clenched into his fist and Natsu, who at first had shown indignation, immediately froze when he felt the focused rage coming off of Erza and Link.

"How very sad..." Aria said as he felt the glares from Link and Erza hit him, though he didn't seem fazed in the slightest. "Not only Salamander, but Maharathi and Titania are to die by my hands..." He said as he impassively faced them.

"The one who dared to touch Master-" "-was this man, right?" Link started to say and Erza finished with no pause in the dialogue.

"Erza... Link..." Natsu said quietly in surprise before he noted something unusual; the two of them were actually breathing at the exact same time.

"Hahahaha..." Aria laughed lightly as his hands up to remove his blindfold. "If I am to fight both Erza the Titania and Maharathi Link, I have no choice to go all out." He said as he took the blindfold off to look at them with arrogant pink eyes that had a white X that sperated the irises. "Come at me and die." Aria said with a sadistic smile as he positioned his hands to form a large, broken circle before him, and immediately the air in the room swirled and and darkened. "I have activated Zero... the magic that consumes all life." He said and both Link's and Erza's eyes tightened before they closed.

"Magic that-" "-consumes life?" Erza was the one who started to ask the question this time and Link finished before they both tensed up.

"How can you steal lives so easily? !" They both yelled angrily, their voices meshing together, as their eyes snapped open and Link unsheathed the Gilded Sword with his left hand at the exact same time Erza extended her right hand to Equp a one-handed sword. "Prepare to pay for your sins, you bastard!" They both declared and Link charged forward, starting from his right foot, as Erza charged forward, starting from her left.

"Let us have some fun!" Aria said and the air surged with a powerful windstorm as Aria released his spell into the incoming mages. "Can you two hope to survive this?" He asked arrogantly as Natsu struggled to hold his ground even as he held Happy protectively to prevent him from getting caught up in the spell.

"ERZA! LINK!" Natsu yelled in panic, not knowing if they could survive Aria's most powerful spell when he couldn't even hold a candle to him. What happened next made his eyes, as well as Aria's, go wide in shock.

Right before the two of them were about to run into Aria's spell, Link's pivoted on his right foot at the exact instant Erza pivoted on her left while the two interlocked their free arms together. The result was a beautiful but deadly dance that created a barrier of steel as they easily sliced their way through the airspace with perfectly timed and aimed attacks that always protected the other.

"Wha-what the?" Aria barely had time to ask before he, and Natsu, had to flinch as a red aura exploded from and surrounded the two a few seconds before they slammed into and passed Aria. The end result was a cyclone that all but destroyed the room they were in and sent Aria flying up through several floors. "GUUUAAAHHHH!" Aria yelled in pain, unable to withstand the sheer power of the attack.

The two of them released the magic and easily came to a stop, both of them standing in the exact same they had been before they had gone into their jaw-dropping dance. They held the pose for the few seconds Aria needed to come crashing down to the ground in a heap, barely conscious, their breath coming smooth and easy.

"Im...impossi...ble..." Aria gasped out as he looked at them in wide-eyed denial.

"Master would never lose-" "-to the likes of you." Link then Erza said as they both tilted their heads to give him one last glare as Aria lost consciousness.

"That tale shall never appear in your saga." They both said at the same time with undeniable finality, the last words Aria heard before his world went black.

Tetsuryuken - Iron Dragon's Sword

Testoryu no Uroko - Iron Dragon's Scales

Murasaki no Bimu - Purple Beam

Murasako no Jaketto - Purple Jacket

Uro - Void

Zetsu - Eradication

Metsu - Annihalation

Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter.

Till next time.